Vietnam jails 8th democracy activist in a month

HANOI, Vietnam 
A pro-democracy activist in Vietnam has been sentenced to four years in prison for calling for an end to the Communist monopoly on power, marking the eighth dissident to be jailed in less than a month.

Lu Van Bay, 59, was convicted of "spreading propaganda against the state" at a half-day trial in southern Kien Giang province, Presiding Judge Do Minh Hung said Tuesday. He was also given three years of house arrest after serving out his sentence.

Bay was accused of posting more than 10 articles on several overseas Vietnamese websites between 2007 until his arrest in March, the judge said. The writings called for a multiparty system and the end to Vietnam's one-party rule, he added.

The judge said Bay confessed and asked for leniency in Monday's trial.

His sentencing is the latest in a spate of crackdowns against some of Vietnam's most prominent dissidents, drawing sharp criticism from the Washington and international human rights groups. Vietnam does not tolerate any threat to its one-party rule and maintains that only lawbreakers are jailed.

On Sunday, 50 protesters were detained after attending a rally in Hanoi to denounce China's territorial claims in the South China Sea. All but 11 were released.

Last week, an appeals court reduced the sentences of two land-rights activists convicted of trying to overthrow the government while upholding the sentences of two others. Earlier in the month, a French-Vietnamese math professor was also given a three-year sentence after being convicted of attempting to overthrow the government by posting articles criticizing one-party rule and holding membership in a banned pro-democracy group.

Meanwhile, last month, an appeals court upheld the seven-year prison sentence for Cu Huy Ha Vu, the dissident son of one of Vietnam's founding revolutionaries. Ailing Roman Catholic priest The Rev. Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly, was also returned to prison after receiving more than a year of medical leave.

The two are among Vietnam's most high-profile pro-democracy activists.